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ASHWAUBENON, Wis. - The U.S. National Under-18 Team used a trio of special teams goals in the second period to skate past the Green Bay Gamblers by a 3-2 final Saturday night at the Resch Center.
The opening period went by without a score as Trey Augustine (South Lyon, Mich.) and Kristoffer Eberly made eight saves apiece. The U.S. got what looked to be the best opportunity of the period after Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) got in alone for a breakaway, but he could not get good wood on the shot. Each side rang a shot off the post, Ryan Fine (Center Moriches, N.Y.) on a quick wrister for the U18s and Raimonds Vitolins with under a minute to play for Green Bay on a breakaway attempt.
The Gamblers made sure the second period wouldn't be goalless as Bodie Nobes snuck a quick wrister by Augustine 56 seconds into the middle frame for the game's initial goal.
The U18s responded with a Beckett Hendrickson (Minnetonka, Minn.) power-play goal at 3:26. Zeev Buium (San Diego, Calif.) slid a pass to Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), stationed at the right point. He ripped his shot towards the crease and Hendrickson got a stick on the puck to redirect it over the shoulder of Eberly to even the score.
Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) provided Team USA with its first lead on his third shorthanded marker of the season. Oliver Moore (Mounds View, Minn.) led the 2-on-1 breakout and found a cutting Leonard, who flipped his shot over the shoulder of Eberly for a 2-1 U.S. lead.
With two seconds to play in the period, Moore netted one himself with a rifle of a wrister from the slot on the power play. Cole Hutson (Barrington, Ill.) moved the puck into the offensive zone to pick up the lone helper on the goal to make it 3-1.
Eli Sebastian brought the home team back within a score as he chose shot on a 2-on-1 break and found the net for his 15th of the year with 12:31 to play in regulation.
Augustine shut the door the rest of the way, including a pair of big-time saves in the final minute. The Michigan State commit made 27 saves on the night as he picked up his 20th win of the season.
The U18s are on the road back in Wisconsin next weekend as they visit the Madison Capitols for a pair of games. The first puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from Bob Suter's Capitol Ice.